This invention relates to a prosthetic article and specifically to a vascular graft containing texturized absorbable or absorbable/nonabsorbable biomaterial. The use of the vascular graft is for repair of the peripheral vascular system and for coronary bypass.
The absorbable material fosters increased tissue ingrowth into the graft as compared to nonabsorbable grafts. Increased tissue ingrowth leads to greater patency through formation of a vascularized neointima and less tendency to be aneurysmal through formation of a suitable adventitia.
The absorbable material can vary and includes polyglycolic acid (hereafter PGA), and a copolymer comprising glycolic acid ester and trimethylene carbonate linkages, e.g. the copolymer in the MAXON.TM. (American Cyanamid Company, Wayne, N.J. 07470 U.S.A.) suture.
The nonabsorbable material (which is used as the backbone) can be proprietary materials, e.g. a Hytrel.TM. (E. I. DuPont and Co., Wilmington, Del. U.S.A.) polymer, such as the polymer in the NOVAFIL.TM. (American Cyanamid Company, Wayne, N.J.) suture. Alternatively, the nonabsorbable material can be more conventional polymers including a polyester, polyamide or polypropylene.
There has been a long felt need in the vascular graft art to develop a small diameter graft which will be generally acceptable to essentially all of the surgical community. The reasons for this long felt need are many and relate both to the biological requirements for a small diameter graft and to the limitations of the biomaterials generally used for these applications. Consequently, prior art small diameter vascular grafts, e.g. at or less than 8 mm diameter to even smaller diameter grafts, e.g. at or less than 4 mm diameter, have not been universally accepted by the surgical community.
Further discussion of the development of this long felt need is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,652,264 issued Mar. 24, 1987 at column 1 line 43 to column 2 line 12, which patent is incorporated herein by reference.
For a discussion of the background of this invention in a connective tissue repair or augmentation device, see U.S. Ser. No. 06/835,493 filed Mar. 3, 1986 page 1 to page 7 line 3 which is incorporated herein by reference.